Costumed Edwin: The Butler Joined the Mafia

Overview

Edwin has returned from the shadows of the Morlovia family, and he’s ditched the polite servant act. The Costumed Edwin (released in October 2025) reimagines the hero as "The Backstabbing Butler," complete with a Mafia-inspired look and a stat sheet that actually competes in the modern era. This review focuses on his Costumed Version, which takes everything good about the original—speed and bypass—and adds a devastating bleed effect and modern survivability.

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Hero Art & Visuals

The art team had fun here. Gone is the hunched, servile posture. Costumed Edwin stands upright, wearing a sharp coat and a fedora that screams "underworld enforcer." He’s still holding a tray (old habits die hard?), but the garlic on it looks more like a threat than a garnish. The "Mafia" theme is distinct and gives him a much more menacing, confident vibe compared to his original "creepy uncle" look.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: This is where the magic happens. With an LB2 power of 1503 and attack nearing 1600, Costumed Edwin has leapt forward two years in power creep.

• Attack: His 1594 attack is elite, allowing his special skill and tile damage to threaten even the tankiest modern heroes.
• Bulk: With nearly 2900 HP and ~1500 Defense, he is no longer the glass cannon of his base form. He can take a hit.
• Verdict: These are Meta-Ready stats. He fits comfortably alongside the strongest heroes of late 2025/2026.

Special Skill: Hemlock Tea

Analysis: The skill name remains "Hemlock Tea," but the recipe has been improved significantly.

• Damage Buff: The direct damage bumped from 250% to 265%. While 15% seems small, when calculated off his massive new attack stat, the actual damage output is far higher.
• Bleed (The Big One): He now inflicts 716 Bleed damage over 4 turns to all enemies. This is huge. It adds ~179 damage per turn per enemy, totaling over 3,500 damage across a full team if unchecked.
• Synergy: The genius of this kit is the Cleanse Block. He applies a massive Bleed, and then forbids the enemy from cleansing it. It’s a self-contained combo that guarantees damage accumulation.
• Bypass: He still ignores defensive buffs, ensuring that both the initial hit and the ailment application land securely.

By the Numbers

• Mana Speed: Fast. 7-8 tiles.
• Direct Damage Potential (LB2): ~1594 Attack * 2.65 = ~4,224 raw damage per target.
  • Comparison: This is nearly 50% more raw damage than his base version.
• DoT Damage: 716 Bleed / 4 turns = 179 damage per turn.
  • Total Potential: 265% Direct + 716 DoT. Against 5 enemies, the total damage output is astronomical.
• Class Change: Cleric. This means he has a chance to resist mana control (Manashield). This is arguably better for a fast hero, ensuring he can fire even against mana-cutters.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Family Bonus

Analysis: The Morlovia mana bonus is still excellent. Pairing him with other costume-updated Morlovia heroes makes for a very speedy, scary team.

Passives

Analysis: He retains the Steal Buff passive (65% chance). With his higher survivability, he’s more likely to fire multiple times, giving you more chances to steal key buffs like Taunt or Dodge. If he fails, the 150% extra damage hits significantly harder now thanks to his updated attack stat.

Aether Power

Analysis:Attack Up fits his role perfectly. It scales his direct damage and ensures his tile damage (which bypasses buffs on special cast thanks to the skill, but high attack helps tiles generally) is threatening.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: The costume breathed new life into a hero that was fading into obscurity. It transformed him from a niche utility hero into a primary damage dealer.
• Power Creep Analysis: Costumed Edwin is fully caught up with the meta. His stats are on par with "Construct" and "Astral" heroes. His mechanics (Bypass + Cleanse Block + High DoT) are timeless and effective against almost any team composition.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Highly Viable. He is a top-tier choice for offensive stacks, especially against "turtle" teams that rely on defensive buffs. He is also excellent in defense teams on the wing or flank due to his Fast speed and punishing ailments.

Costume & Costume Bonus

• The Comparison:
  • Base: Paladin, Low Stats, 250% Dmg, No DoT.
  • Costume: Cleric, High Stats, 265% Dmg, Massive Bleed.
• The Verdict: The Costume is superior in every conceivable way. It hits harder, survives longer, and applies pressure through Bleed that the base version simply cannot match. The Cleanse Block makes the Bleed deadly.
• Costume Bonus: The costume bonus provides massive stat boosts (Health/Attack/Defense/Mana) that are essential for bringing him up to 2026 standards. Even if you liked the Paladin class, you would essentially be playing with a handicap by not using the Costume.

Emblem Path Analysis

With the Cleric class, you have great options.

The "Bleeding Edge" (Attack Path)

• Path: Attack > Defense > Health
• Pros: Maximizes the 265% hit and tile damage.
• Cons: DoT (Bleed) damage is fixed and doesn't scale with attack, but the initial hit does.

The "Persistent Butler" (Defense/Health Path)

• Path: Health > Defense > Attack
• Pros: Maximizes the Manashield (Cleric) proc chance (if talents are chosen right) and keeps him alive to refresh the Bleed and Cleanse Block.
• Cons: Lowers his direct impact slightly.

Final Recommendation

Go Attack > Defense. He is a Fast hero; his job is to kill or maim the enemy quickly. His stats are already high enough to survive, so lean into his offensive capabilities.

Strengths

• Complete Package: Direct damage + DoT + Utility (Cleanse Block).
• Bypass: Makes him consistent. He never hits a 0 because of a reflect or defense buff.
• Cleanse Block: The ultimate "No U" to healers and cleansers.
• Modern Stats: He is thick and hits like a truck.
• Manashield: Resisting mana cuts (e.g., from Waterpipe or other controllers) ensures he fires.

Weaknesses

• Passive RNG: The 65% chance to steal is still a gamble.
• DoT Counters: While he blocks cleansing, he doesn't block blocking. Heroes who grant Ailment Immunity (like Hathor) before he fires will completely neuter his ailment application.
• Fixed DoT: 716 is a lot, but it doesn't scale with troops or buffs.

Best Game Modes

• Raids/War Offense: Incredible against teams with heavy buffs or annoying healers.
• Bloody Battle: He excels here. His bleed adds up, and his bypass ignores the defensive buffs people rely on when they can't heal.
• Rush Attack: While Fast heroes lose relative value in Rush, his Cleanse Block is devastating when fired repeatedly.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

Costume Edwin is a "Team Player" who sets up kills.

Sample Team Ideas

• The "Bleed & Block" (Nature Stack):
  • Team: Evelyn/Almur (EDD) - Costume Edwin - Costume Francine
  • Strategy: Defense down, then Edwin applies bleed and locks cleansing. Francine adds more damage and refreshes the cleanse.
• The Anti-Meta:
  • Team: Costume Edwin - Heavy DoT (e.g., Narcisa or specific burn heroes)
  • Strategy: Use Edwin to lock the status ailments on the enemy team, ensuring they suffer the full duration of all effects.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Hard Counter: Ailment Immunity (Hathor, Aramis, Garnet). If they fire first, Edwin becomes just a mediocre damage dealer.
• Soft Counter: Passive Cleansers (like roughian & nurgib on damage) who might trigger before the block lands? No, wait, his block prevents cleansing. The only counter is prevention.

Advice for New Players

If you have Costumed Edwin, you have a gem. Prioritize him over almost any other green hero. He does everything you need: hits all, solves tricky defenses, and has the stats to carry you.

Advice for Veterans

He is worth the mats. Even with heroes like Turundh available, Costumed Edwin's Bypass + Cleanse Block utility is unique and timeless. He counters many modern defensive meta trends (Taunt, Dodge, Counterattack) simply by ignoring them. He is a worthy candidate for Limit Break 2.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

• "The tea is poisoned..." - Players noted the thematic perfection of his skill.
• "Now I'm in this group too!" - The excitement of pulling the costume was palpable in the forums, contrasting the "meh" reaction to the base hero in later years.
• "He will pair well with my ailments team together with Matilda." - This prediction turned out to be 100% accurate; he is a staple in DoT teams.

Final Thoughts

Costumed Edwin is the glow-up of the century for the Morlovia family. He went from a servant to a boss. By combining modern stats with a mechanic (Cleanse Block) that breaks the rules of the game, he secures his spot as a relevant and dangerous hero for the foreseeable future.

Verdict: Excellent / Core Hero.